Yarrangobilly Caves

The Yarrangobilly Caves are a set of caves smack bang in the middle of Kosciuszko National Park, in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. The region has some caves that have been forming for around from a few hundred thousand years old all the way back to several million years.

History
The first European to visit the caves was when a stockman John Bowman came across the complex in 1834. However, in 1904–50, Leo James Hoad was associated with the caves, serving as the official caretaker of the caves from 1919 to 1946. He also discovered Jillabenan Cave in 1910.

Since then, various other caves have been discovered – the mountainous terrain allows the entrance to some caves easy to find, but there are still new underwater caves being discovered, including a recent discovery in the early 2020s.

Landscape
Geologically, these caves are diverse. Though not as old as the rivalled Jenolan Caves in the Blue Mountains, these caves were formed in 440-million-year-old limestone, though not all were formed at the same time. The two main caves on show, Jersey and Jillabenan Caves, were formed over 500,000 years apart (Jersey formed a few years before).

For cave enthusists, Jersey Cave features a 4-metre stalegmite that touches the ceiling that's named Cleopatra's Needle.

Flora and fauna
Yarrangobilly has plenty of bare-nosed wombats and striking blue and black superb fairy wrens. Platypuses can be found in the river, but being nocturnal and aquatic you're highly unlikely to spot one.

Climate
The caves are at an elevation of 978 m. Summer highs can reach 30&deg;C, while winter lows can go below zero, with snow possible but rare.

Visitor information centre


Apart from this visitor information centre in Yarrangobilly, the nearest ones are in Tumut or Jindabyne. See the Kosciuszko National Park for more about this.

Get in
Yarrangobilly is quite isolated, with car being the only option to get in, via the long and windy Snowy Mountains Highway. The road is passable by 2WD, but not suitable for caravans. Carrying snow chains is strongly recommended in winter.

Most visitors from Sydney or Melbourne will arrive via the Hume Highway, turning off to Tumut. From here head southeast and up the Great Diving Range on the Snowy Mountains Highway (B72) for about an hour. After an hour / 86 km, turn right onto Yarrangobilly Caves Road. The turn-off is well signposted.

If coming from points south or east (Jindabyne, Canberra), drive to Cooma, then head west on the Snowy Mountains Highway for 1.5 hours, and turn onto Yarrangobilly Caves Road.

The final 5 km from the highway to the park entrance is down a dusty gravel road with steep corners. There are separate one-way only roads to enter and exit, but roads within the park are two-way and quite narrow.

Fees and permits
Parking at Yarrangobilly costs A$4 per vehicle per day, which can be paid at the visitor centre. The only exceptions are if:
 * You've paid the fee when going to Thredbo/Perisher, Khancoban or Mount Selwyn. Those fees cover the entire Kosciuszko National Park.
 * You have an all parks pass which covers all NSW National Parks, including Kosciuszko National Park. Multi Parks Passes aren't valid in Yarrangobilly.

Get around
You only have two ways to get around: by car or on foot. If you're camping at Yarrangobilly Village campground, you'll definitely need a car. There is no way for a pedestrian to access the caves, and especially given how the road is unsealed, narrow, and has steep elevation drops, this poses a safety issue for both you and an oncoming car.

Yarrangobilly's road network is mostly narrow and centred on two one-way loops. The first loop is the loop that connects Yarrangobilly with the Snowy Mountains, and the other loop connects the visitor centre and accommodation/facilities with most of the show caves. Make sure to slow down – do not try and drive more than at max because that's a perfect recipe for disaster.

Walking between the caves would be somewhat exhausting on a summer's day, but try and minimise using a car. For example, there is little reason to take your car from the visitor centre, only to drive it for a few metres to the South Glory Cave because if you had to go back, you'd have to travel via one of the two loops. At the same time, do take your car from the visitor centre to Jersey or Jilla because it would be tedious to walk uphill (and there are parking slots in front of the caves).

See


The thing to see at Yarrangobilly Caves is, of course, the caves. Inside the caves it's 10° all year around, so bring some jackets with you.

All caves require tickets, which can be purchased at the visitor centre. Discounted tickets for visiting multiple caves are available. South Glory Cave can be visited on your own, but all the others are accessible only by guided tour.



Do




Buy
The visitor centre has a large range of souvenirs ranging from fridge magnets to boomerangs to 4WD tracks, or what you'd find at any gift shop at any national park.

Eat and drink
The visitor centre sells some small snacks and some soft drinks but apart from that, there are no restaurants, bars, or pubs et cetera in Yarrangobilly. The nearest are in Talbingo (30 min north) or Adaminaby (30 min south), but for more variety, Cooma or Tumut will be your best bet (both are an hour's drive from Yarrangobilly).

Potable tap water is available at the thermal pool and the campground.

Sleep
Accommodation in Yarrangobilly is limited to three lodges and a campground run by NSW National Parks. The three lodges do get booked out quickly; if that does happen, the nearest accommodation can be found in Adaminaby, Talbingo, Tumut, or if you're okay with a one-hour drive, Cooma.

Backcountry
Yarrangobilly's unwieldy terrain makes the area unsuitable for backcountry camping – only camp within the campground.

Stay safe
The Yarrangobilly area was badly hit by bushfires in 2019-2020. Keep an eye on bushfire warnings in summer.

Go next
Your only option is to get out of Yarrangobilly through other parts of Kosciuszko National Park. The next closest POI in the park is Mt Selwyn, while the nearest towns and cities are Tumut and Cooma.

Otherwise, if you're looking to go to some ski resorts, Thredbo and Perisher are the most established ones in the park.